If you've been reading this blog for some amount of time, then you've probably read my raving excitement for "Ghostbusters III." I've been following the development of this long-awaited sequel very closely. "The Office" writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky ("Year One") have a script due in May for the 2011 release, the original 'Busters are said to be returning and Ivan Reitman, the director of the first two movies, will be back to direct the third. Or so we thought.
Apparently, Sony would like to pull a "Spider-Man" with "Ghostbusters," bringing in a young, hip director to -- you guessed it -- reboot the franchise for a new generation, Vulture reports. It's common knowledge that the plan has been to have the focus of the coming sequel be on a sort of "new class" of 'Busters, with the original guys -- Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson -- on hand to pass their torch along. So the real surprise here is the Reitman hesitation. And since Reitman, along with Aykroyd, Ramis and Murray, has significant amount of creative control over the franchise, an impasse between the two groups could conceivably lead to the death of "Ghostbusters III."
A deal struck back in the '80s dictates that Ramis and three actors all get director and story approval; Vulture's source explains that a single veto from any one of them could cripple the entire process. They further cite Reitman "insiders" as saying that the director has no intention of letting go of the third "Ghostbusters" outing, even as he prepares to helm the Ashton Kutcher/Natalie Portman-starring Sony comedy, "Friends With Benefits."
The importance of this franchise to the studio only complicates matters further. As Vulture points out, Sony's only slated 2011 blockbusters is "Ghostbusters III." Losing that from an already-light summer lineup would be a setback, to say the least.
What all of this means is that the two parties are going to have to start talking compromise or -- far less likely -- one will simply have to bend. I have a suggestion: offer the gig to Jason Reitman. The Oscar-nominated "Up in the Air" director may not be the guy for this sort of comedy, but he also feels like a choice that might sit well with both parties. Him actually wanting to do it is another question entirely.
Maybe I'm grasping at straws here. I just want to see me some "Ghostbusters III," dammit.
Should Ivan Reitman step aside and let Sony have their way with "Ghostbusters"? Should he stand firm? How would suggest this issue be resolved?
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